Trade shows in South Africa are getting bigger, better, more productive, and cover everything from products for a pet shop to ecommerce to consumer electronics. The Online Retailing Conference – now in its fifth year – will be held at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways on 19 and 20 June 2013. It’s just around the corner so make sure you’ve already booked your accommodation in Fourways for this exciting and enlightening event, especially if your business is in eCommerce or the marketing of online retail products. It’s an exciting industry to be in – here’s why:

Online retail in the South African context

Life in South Africa runs at break-neck speed and it’s this frenetic pace that makes online shopping rather logical. Online retail makes life far more convenient, as you can shop on the go and have goods delivered to your front door. And it’s true that the online retail industry in South Africa has made huge headway in the last few years, but it’s not nearly at the point where it could potentially be – there’s still a long way to go.

In developed countries as well as in the BRICS countries, major strides are being made in the online retail sector, but South Africa’s uptake of online shopping has been quite stinted – only 0.9% of total retail activity in the country. In Brazil, it’s 11%; in China it’s 10.7%, and in Russia, 4.2%.

Hindering factors in the online retail market

There are many factors getting in the way of South Africans opting to do their shopping online – the three main factors being that they don’t have a credit card; they don’t trust online security; and they want to see the product in person (for instance, shoe shopping is difficult to do online unless you can try on the shoe). These factors assume that potential online shoppers even have the technology to shop online; or even have the home and electricity that allows for computer or smartphone usage. For many areas of the market, it’s easier and cheaper to purchase goods from neighbourhood suppliers, as access to the internet is simply out of their economic framework. Economic and social gaps, as well as basic services need to be filled before individuals can consider the option of shopping online.

At the Online Retailing Conference

Stakeholders in the online retail market will benefit from taking hold of the existing market in an attempt to expand it. Get the latest information on secure methods for online payment; Internet accessibility and connectivity; competitive pricing and technological advancements. Understand the landscape of the existing industry, and learn about the innovations that are driving the online retail sector. The conference is also a great opportunity for industry professionals to network and perhaps find common touch points that require joined forces in order to move forward.

There is a jam-packed programme over the course of the conference – if you’re in the business of online retail, this is one trade event you don’t want to miss!